Garrick stopped counting after three days. Even with the emergency rations in the pod, his stomach ached for actual food and his throat was dry. He had cleaned the burn on his leg as best he could, but if he didn't get medical help soon, he risked infection. His other leg burned with cramp and he had the desperate desire to stretch out, only there was no room in the pod.

His sleep was fitful, Garrick spent too much time worrying about how much air was in the small capsule and constantly checking the small screen for any sign of discovery. Still, the waiting gave him lots of time to think. The anger he felt towards Allison and Chi-Young ballooned inside his chest, but there were also periods of wallowing in the sharp pain deep in his heart that their betrayal had caused. He had been staring at the truth the whole time and had missed it. He should have been more forceful in investigating? He thought back to when Allison had gone to the Phoenix Rises to visit the Whisper. It should have been obvious!

He had been so stupid.

Allison may have fooled him once, but Garrick wasn't about to let it happen again--if he ever made it out of this. Countless more hours passed, but finally, mercifully, the console in front of him chimed. At last, an Alliance ship was approaching.

I don't believe it. It's the Phoenix Rises.

He thought that they would need far longer to repair their essential systems. He may struggle with Jansen, but at least he was sure she wasn't a traitor. That was all that mattered now. He took deep breaths to calm himself, knowing that soon he would have the chance to heal, and the opportunity to right Allison's wrongs.

With a clank, the pod came to rest on the deck of the Phoenix Rises. The shock shuddered through and rattled Garrick against his restraints and sending a sharp burst of pain up his leg. Bright light was coming through the small viewport, forcing him to squint after the days in the cold dark of space.

He didn't know how long it was between landing on the deck and the techs outside cracking the pod open. With the hatch gone, the pod flooded with even more light and an overwhelming wave of noise from the hanger. There was the hammering of deck plates, drills that rocked his skull, and a roar of conversation from those scampering around the hanger. It made his head hurt even more. Garrick was forced to shield his eyes as he got out, his muscles screamed in protest as he stretched out of the position the pod had kept him in for over a day. He had to pause half way after being hit with a sudden wave of dizziness.

"Commander Karn." When his vision cleared, Garrick saw Admiral Jansen stood in front of the pod with her arms folded and a stern expression on her face. A squad of the Phoenix Rises' security team flanked her, all with beam rifles trained on the pod. A few of the repair crews stop what they were doing to watch. "I have a few questions for you."

"Admiral." Garrick coughed and tried to lean on the pod for support. "I never thought I would be happy to see you." He felt hot, with pins and needles climbing up his limbs. His view of the hanger darkened, his head span. The last thing he remembered was the look of shock on Jansen's face as he dropped to the floor.

#

Garrick came to with a start. It took him a moment to realise where he was, in the medical bay of the Phoenix Rises. His head pounded, and the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him made it almost impossible to keep his eyes open, but at least it seemed like his burn was being treated. What was more concerning was that he appeared to be handcuffed to the bed.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He tried to speak, but the only noise that came out was a groan. That was enough to summon the doctor.

"Oh good, you're awake," the doctor said before picking up the tablet at the end of his bed to check his vitals. "You had quite the wound on your leg, Mr Karn. I'm surprised you didn't go into shock earlier than you did."

"Will it recover?" He tried to move his leg, but it was tied down.

"Sure it will. Just needs some time and care." The doctor turned to go.

"Why am I restrained?" Garrick said.

She paused mid-stride, but didn't turn around. "The Admiral will be with you soon. I believe she has some questions."

He sighed. That wasn't surprising, but the assumption of his guilt rankled him. Still, he would have done the same if it had been the other way around. He figured Jansen would let him stew for a while, but to his surprise, within minutes of the doctor leaving, she strode up to the bed.

Jansen folded her arms. "Commander, I must confess I don't understand how you came to be in an escape pod next to the wreckage of the Constitution, but it is damning to say the least."

"Admiral," he coughed out. "I realise how this looks from your perspective. If you would--"

"If it wasn't for the fact that we can detect the remains of the Constitution, I would have already executed for desertion. But I need answers, starting with why you are the only person left alive."

"And I'm happy to give them, but we can't waste any time. Allison is probably most of the way to the Forge by now--"

"Why that is an issue? Allison--"

"Allison is a traitor." Garrick tried to sit up, but the restraints wouldn't let him. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but it's true."

Jansen frowned. "What evidence do you have?"

Garrick had expected this. "You will have received a ledger dump from the Mandrake a day or so ago. I can help you decode it to show that Allison sent a message with the Forge's location. The insurgents are going for the Forge, Admiral. They're trying to build their own bomb. If we let them, the Alliance is finished.

"The Secretary General and I, we attempted to take control of the Mandrake. We failed. Allison opened fire on the Constitution, somehow disabling her. They destroyed the ship--the Secretary General... he's dead." It still didn't seem real to him.

More silence from Jansen.

"Admiral, we can't waste any more time--we need to get to the Forge."

Jansen pulled a tablet out from her jacket, unfolded it and sat it down on the table. "We found beam marks on the wreckage of the Constitution consistent with weapons fire, and we received an unusual ledger dump from the Mandrake. You are telling the truth, Commander, but even if those facts hadn't corroborated your story I would have believed you." She tapped the screen to begin playback.

To his shock, the Secretary General himself appeared on the screen on what looked like the bridge of the Constitution. It was difficult to be sure with the amount of smoke that had filled the room. Flames swirled and spat behind him, with people trying in vain to put them out, and the video feed distorted and shimmered with static.

"This is Secretary General Martinez on board the Alliance Warship Constitution, calling any Alliance ship. The Constitution is under attack by the Mandrake, an Alliance Warship commanded by Admiral Allison, repeat, we are under attack by the Alliance Warship Mandrake and Admiral Allison. They opened fire without warning. We won't survive this, but the Alliance must be told about what has happened here. Allison is a traitor. They're heading for the Forge. Stop them, whatever the cost."

"Captain, they're firing weapons!" A desperate voice called out from off screen.

"Tell Klara I--"

The screen went dead.

"Despite whatever personal feelings I may have about you, we must put aside our differences for the sake of the Alliance. Allison is to blame, and Martinez is right--we must stop him. We don't have a choice." She sounded almost pleading.

"Hope is not yet lost--the Forge just needs to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive."

"Where is it? Without the location, we--"

"The Phayao system, the Secretary General told me before... before he died."

Jansen visibly relaxed. "There's one gate in, but once they leave Phayao, the Selborne system only has two other routes out. We can plan where to meet them."

"That's enough to work with. We can gather a sizable fleet on our way to Phayao, with luck we can trap them and end this."

Jansen reached out and patted his arm. "Get some rest, Commander. I need you as my XO for this."

"Yes ma'am." Garrick watched her leave. If Jansen could put aside any bad blood for the sake of the Alliance, so could he.